JP2003108831A - Sale supporting method and device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve a problem of difficulty in selling shoes fitted to feet of a user on line. SOLUTION: An acquisition part 20 receives foot shape data of a user from a terminal 12. A searching part 24 searches a goods data base 34 for goods information for shoes fitting shape of the feet of the user, and a provision part 26 provides the goods information to the terminal 12. A settling part 28 receives data of an order for goods from the terminal 12, settles the order, and stores purchase record for the user in a purchase order memory part 36. An evaluation part 30 receives evaluation data from the user related to feeling of fitting of the shoes after purchase from the terminal 12, and stores the data in the purchase record memory part 36. An estimating part 32 refers to purchase record to estimate the shape of the feet of the user based on the shape of the shoes of high evaluation by the user.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to sales support technology, and more particularly, to a method and a device for supporting sales of goods on a network.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Various products are sold by electronic commerce using the Internet. The user can apply for the purchase of the product without visiting the store by browsing the photos of the product and detailed information about the product while staying at home.
With the advent of the broadband network era, users will be able to get a high-speed Internet access environment that is always connected, and it is expected that electronic commerce services using the Internet will further expand in the future.

In such electronic commerce, it is effective to present an image of a product in order to enhance the presentation effect of the product. For example, a moving image or a pseudo three-dimensional image is used in addition to a still image. Has been devised so that you can get a real sense of the product without looking at the actual product at the store.

[0004]

In such electronic commerce, the user sees the image and size of the product displayed on the display of the computer, applies for the purchase of the product, and receives the actual product. However, there may be inconveniences such as the difference in color feeling between what you see on the display and the real thing, or the difference in the feeling when viewed by your hand.

Furthermore, there are some types of products that cannot be determined by the product information on the Internet only if they are really suitable for oneself. For example, in the case of products such as shoes and swimwear that have a high degree of close contact with the body, it is not always possible to determine whether or not they fit the user's body by their appearance and dimensions alone. Although these products are displayed with predetermined dimensions, they are often sold on the assumption that they will be tried on at stores, and the fitting feeling cannot be known until the user actually wears them.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an assisting technology for selling a product suitable for a user including a feeling of fitting online.

[0007]

One aspect of the present invention relates to a sales support method. This method remotely obtains the user's individual size data about the size that defines the fitting feeling of the product, for which the fitting feeling should be confirmed by trial fitting, and which has a high degree of close contact with the body. The product matching the data is retrieved from the database, presented to the user, and the product can be sold online.

[0008] The products referred to here have high adhesion to the body and have a problem of fitting feeling when worn, and are, for example, shoes, underwear and swimwear. The size of such products is generally displayed, but the size of products is only a measure of the degree of conformity with the user's body, and the fitting feeling can often be confirmed only when the product is actually worn. The personal size data defines the fitting feeling of such a product. For example, in the case of shoes, the size data represents the shape of the user's foot, and in addition to the foot length, it also includes dimensions other than those measured when purchasing normal shoes, such as foot circumference and instep height. This personal size data is
It may be shape data such as coordinate data expressing a three-dimensional shape of at least a part of the user's body.

Another aspect of the present invention also relates to a sales support method. This method includes the steps of holding a purchase history including evaluations regarding the user's fitting feeling for products purchased by the user, obtaining dimensional data defining the fitting feeling for products highly evaluated regarding the fitting feeling, and Searching the database for the product matching the dimensional data and presenting the product to the user. Further, it may include a step of enabling the sale of the product online.

Yet another aspect of the present invention relates to a sales support device. This device includes an acquisition unit that acquires personal size data of at least a part of a body for defining a fitting feeling of a product from a user, and a search unit that searches for the product suitable for the user based on the personal size data. And a providing unit that provides the data of the searched product to the user's terminal. This personal size data is, for example, 3
It is acquired by a shape measuring device such as a D digitizer.
Alternatively, the user may directly input data characterizing the shape of his / her body.

The method further includes a storage unit for holding a purchase history of products purchased by the user, and an estimation unit for estimating the personal size data of the user based on the size data of the products purchased by the user. The unit may search for a product suitable for the user based on the estimated personal size data.

[0012] The storage unit further includes an input unit for receiving input of evaluation data relating to an actual fitting feeling from the user for the product purchased by the user, the storage unit holds the evaluation data in the purchase history, and the estimation unit. ,
The personal size data that reflects the actual fitting feeling of the user may be estimated using the evaluation data.

Yet another aspect of the present invention also relates to a sales support method. In this method, a step of remotely obtaining foot dimension data for defining a fitting feeling of a shoe from a user and matching between the dimension data of the user's foot and the dimension data of a shoe sold as a product are taken. By doing so, a step of searching the database for information on shoes suitable for the user's foot, and a step of presenting the searched shoe information on the user's terminal to enable online sale of the shoes. including.

The method further includes the step of obtaining information on the type and material of the shoes from the user, and the step of searching searches the database for shoes suitable for the user's foot using the information on the type and material of the shoes. You may. Further, the degree of matching between the shape of the user's foot and the shape of the shoe may be adjusted depending on the type and material of the shoe.
Accordingly, even if the foot fits differently or the elasticity of the shoe varies depending on the material of the shoe, it is possible to select the shoe suitable for the user according to the material.

It should be noted that any combination of the above components, the expression of the present invention, a method, an apparatus, a system, a recording medium
A program converted between computer programs and the like is also effective as an aspect of the present invention.

[0016]

1 is a block diagram of a sales support system according to an embodiment. In the embodiment, the sale of shoes will be described as an example. The 3D digitizer 10 is a shape measuring device that acquires the three-dimensional shape of the user's foot, is connected to the terminal 12a, and inputs the acquired three-dimensional coordinate data of the user's foot to the terminal 12a. The terminal 12a is placed, for example, in a store that sells shoes, and the shape of the foot of the user is set to 3
The shoes are acquired by the D digitizer 10 and searched for shoes suitable for the user. On the other hand, the terminal 12b is not connected to the 3D digitizer 10, and the user inputs and gives a value related to the three-dimensional shape of the foot, for example, information about the width of the foot and the height of the instep. The terminal 12b that does not use the 3D digitizer 10 is, for example, a computer or a mobile terminal device that has an Internet connection function that is commonly used at home. These terminals 12a and 12b are collectively referred to as the terminal 12. The server 16 is an example of a sales support device, has a shoe database, receives a shoe search request from the terminal 12, provides shoe data to the terminal 12, and sells shoes online.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the server 16. In terms of hardware, this configuration is the C of any computer.
It can be realized by a PU, a memory, and other LSIs, and in terms of software, it is realized by a program having a sales support function, etc., but here, the functional blocks realized by their cooperation are depicted. Therefore, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that these functional blocks can be realized in various forms by only hardware, only software, or a combination thereof.

The communication section 40 communicates with the terminal 12 via the Internet 14. The acquisition unit 20 is a shoe manufacturer,
In addition to information generally specified when purchasing shoes, such as type, size, and material, data regarding the shape of the user's foot is received from the terminal 12. The user database 38 holds personal attributes such as the gender and age of the user, as well as the shape data of the foot of the user acquired by the acquisition unit 20. The product database 34 holds product information of shoes to be sold. The product database 34 also holds, for each product, data relating to the shape of the shoe relating to the fitting feeling of the user.

The search unit 24 searches the product database 34 for shoes specified by the user from the specification information such as the manufacturer, type, size, and material of the shoes received from the acquisition unit 20. User database 3
Matching is performed with the shape data of the user's foot held in 8, and it is checked whether the shoe to be searched fits the user's foot. If the shoes of the manufacturer specified by the user do not fit the user's foot, the search unit 24 may extract shoes of other manufacturers that match the user's foot from the product database 34.

When the retrieval unit 24 retrieves information about shoes that fit the user's foot, the provision unit 26 retrieves the information from the terminal 1.
Provide to 2. The settlement unit 28 receives the application data of the user's product from the terminal 12, performs settlement, and stores the purchase history of the user in the purchase history storage unit 36. Evaluation unit 30
Receives from the terminal 12 the user's evaluation data regarding the fitting feeling such as the comfort of wearing shoes after purchase, and stores the evaluation data in the purchase history storage unit 36 in association with the user's purchase history.

The search unit 24 has two modes, one for using the shape data of the user's foot as described above and the other for using the shape data of the shoe purchased by the user in the past when searching for shoes suitable for the user. It is provided. In the latter mode,
The estimation unit 32 refers to the purchase history of the user held in the purchase history storage unit 36, selects a shoe highly evaluated by the user from shoes purchased by the user in the past, and extracts the ID of the product. The estimation unit 32 searches the product database 34 based on the product ID, acquires shoe shape data highly evaluated by the user, and regards it as the foot shape data of the user. The search unit 24 searches the product database 34 for shoes suitable for the user's foot based on the shape data of the user's foot estimated by the estimation unit 32 under the specified condition.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the personal information of the user stored in the user database 38. User ID
Data is stored in the fields 70, gender 72, date of birth 74, occupation 76, and foot shape 78. The foot shape 78 is a field that stores foot shape data such as the width of the foot of the user and the height of the instep.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of foot shape data. The foot shape is represented by, for example, dimensional data of a foot length L, a foot circumference W, and an instep height H. The foot length L is the length from the rearmost point of the heel to the longest fingertip. Foot circumference W is
It is the circumference of the foot measured through the innermost point of the bulge of the base of the thumb and the outermost point of the bulge of the bone of the little finger. The instep height H is the height of the highest point of the instep. In the field of the foot shape 78 of FIG. 3, dimension data of the user's foot length L, foot circumference W, and instep height H is stored. As the data representing the shape of the foot, data measured for other parts of the foot may be used. Also, three-dimensional coordinate data representing the shape of the user's foot may be used as the foot shape data.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the product information of shoes stored in the product database 34. The product information has fields of a product ID 50, a maker 52, a product name 54, a size 56, a color 58, a price 60, a type 62, a material 64, a shape 66, and an image 68. The size 56 is a field that stores data regarding the size of a shoe when the shoe is normally sold. The type 62 is a field that stores data indicating the type of shoes such as sandals, business shoes, and high heels. The material 64 is a field that stores data indicating the material of shoes such as synthetic leather, natural leather, and cloth.

The shape 66 is a field for storing data relating to the shape of the shoe. For example, as the data relating to the fitting feeling of the user, the size 66 of the toe portion, the width of the heel portion and the like are different from the normal size display of the shoe. Stores data about unknown dimensions. The shape 66 may store three-dimensional coordinate data representing the shape of the shoe. The image 68 is a field for storing the photograph and video data of shoes.

In the case of shoes, there are some shoes having the same product name 54 but different sizes 56 and colors 58. In that case, size 5
6, such product information may be provided for each combination of colors 58, and a size and a list of colors sold for the product may be stored in the fields of size 56 and color 58, respectively. . In the latter case, product ID 50
Size with the symbol indicating the size and color difference at the end of
Products of different colors may be distinguished. Further, the data of the shape 66 and the image 68 may be shared between products of different sizes and colors, and pointers to the common data may be provided in the fields of the shape 66 and the image 68.

6 (a) and 6 (b) show examples of product information of shoes. An example of the data of the product information is shown using the codes corresponding to the fields described in FIG. In the product of FIG. 6A, the product ID 50a is “XP11222”, the manufacturer 52a is “manufacturer A”, the type 62a is “business shoes”, the color 58a is “black”, and the size 56a is “24.5”.
EEE ", material 64a" synthetic leather ", shape 66a" L245, W249, H75 ", price 60a" 1 "
2,000 yen "is stored in each. Shape 66a
“L245, W249, H75” stored in the table represents the dimensions of the foot length L, the foot circumference W, and the instep height H described in FIG. 4 in millimeters. The image data of this shoe is stored in the image 68a. Similarly, in the product of FIG. 6B, data unique to this product is stored in each field.

FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the purchase history data of the products stored in the purchase history storage unit 36. A user ID 80, a purchase product ID 82, a purchase date / time 84, the number of purchases 86, a payment amount 88, and a user evaluation 9 for each purchased product.
A record of 0 is recorded. The user evaluation 90 is user evaluation data regarding the actual comfort of the purchased shoes, and for example, evaluation values of fitting feelings such as tightness, tightness, and looseness are recorded.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart for explaining a sales support procedure by the sales support system having the above structure. FIG. 9 is an example of a shoe search screen displayed on the terminal 12. Figure 8
The sales support procedure will be described with reference to FIG.

A window 200 of FIG. 9 is a window of a browser for browsing a Web page provided by the server 16, and a shoe search screen is displayed. The user logs in by entering the user ID and password in the login field 202 of the search screen (S10). At this time, the server 16 authenticates the user and reads the personal information of the user from the user database 38.

Next, the user selects the shoe type selection field 204, the shoe color selection field 206, the shoe size selection field 208, and the shoe material selection field 21.
0, the desired shoe type, size, color,
A material is selected and designated (S12).

After that, the user clicks either the button 212 for inputting and searching for the shape data of his / her foot or the button 214 for searching with reference to the shoes that he / she bought before to select the desired product. Start searching for. When receiving the search command from the terminal 12, the search unit 24 of the server 16 determines whether or not the search command refers to the purchase history (S14), and when the search does not refer to the purchase history (N of S14). In step S16, the acquisition unit 20 receives the input of the foot shape data of the user. The foot shape data may be acquired by the 3D digitizer 10 as described above, or the user directly inputs the data of the foot length L, the foot circumference W, and the instep height H to the terminal 12. You may. The search unit 24 stores the foot shape data of the user in the personal information of the user in the user database 38.

If the user's foot shape data is already recorded in the user database 38, the acquisition unit 2
0 does not need to acquire the shape data of the user again,
The search unit 24 may extract and use the shape data of the user's foot from the user's personal information in the user database 38.

The search unit 24 searches for shoes under various conditions such as the type, color, and material of shoes specified by the user,
Furthermore, the user's foot shape data and the product database 3
By matching with the shoe shape data stored in 4, the shoe information that matches the user's foot is extracted (S1).
8).

In step S14, in the case of the search referring to the purchase history (Y of S14), the estimation unit 32 refers to the purchase history of the user stored in the purchase history storage unit 36 and has a high user evaluation 90. The purchase product ID 82 of the shoe is extracted, the product database 34 is searched using the purchase product ID 82, and the shape data of the corresponding shoe is extracted (S20). The search unit 24 regards the shoe shape data extracted by the estimation unit 32 as the user's foot shape, compares the shoe shape data with the shoe shape data stored in the product database 34, and compares the shoe information suitable for the user's foot. Is extracted (S2
2).

The providing unit 26 provides the information on the shoes extracted by the search unit 24 to the terminal 12, and the search result is displayed on the terminal 12 (S24). Search result field 2 in FIG. 9
14 is an example of a search result. A value 216 representing the fitting feeling of the shoe is also displayed together with the search result. You can browse the search results for other shoes by clicking the "View next search result" button.

Further, the user can click the button 216 for evaluating the comfort of the previously purchased shoes and input the evaluation value regarding the actual fitting feeling of the shoes purchased in the past.

As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to order online shoes that fit the user's foot. The user can save the trouble of searching for a shoe that fits his / her foot from a large number of stocks in a store or ordering a shoe that fits his / her foot in a customized manner.

The shape of the foot is different for each person, and if you choose shoes according to the displayed size and buy without wearing trial shoes, when you actually wear them, you may not be able to wear them tightly.
In addition, even if the shoe size is the same, the size of the shoe may differ depending on the manufacturer. The shoe size indicator is only one indication of shoe-foot compatibility. As in the present embodiment, by considering matching between the shoe shape and the foot shape in addition to the shoe size, it is possible to select a comfortable shoe suitable for the user.

The present invention has been described above based on the embodiments. It is understood by those skilled in the art that these embodiments are mere examples, and that various modifications can be made to the combinations of the respective constituent elements and the respective processing processes, and that such modifications are also within the scope of the present invention. By the way.

As such a modification, the estimation unit 32
The shape data of the user's foot may be estimated by combining several pieces of shoe shape data that are relatively highly evaluated by the user from the purchase history of the user. Further, when evaluating the matching between the shape data of the user's foot and the shape data of the shoe, the search unit 24 may adjust the degree of matching evaluation depending on the material of the shoe. This is because some products, such as leather products, take a long time to fit to your feet, and some products use stretchable materials. Further, since the shoe size display differs depending on the country of origin, the search unit 24 may appropriately perform size conversion in order to maintain compatibility between the shoe size designated by the user and the shoe size.

In the above description, the server 16 stores the product database 34 in which the product information of shoes of a plurality of manufacturers is stored.
However, the product database 34 may be provided for each shoe manufacturer. Further, such a product database 34 does not necessarily have to be provided in the server 16 and may be provided in a server owned by each manufacturer on the Internet 14. In that case, the server 16 functions as a site of an application service provider that sells shoes to the user by using the shoe database provided in the server of each maker, so that shoes suitable for the user can be provided across a plurality of makers. Can be presented. In addition, the server 16 may provide a custom-made service that allows a manufacturer to custom-make shoes that match the user's foot using the shape data of the user's foot.

The server 16 analyzes the evaluation data relating to the feeling of fitting and the shape data of the shoes stored in the purchase history, so that the tendency of the user's preference, the difference in the feeling of fitting depending on the material and type of the shoes, and the like. A data mining unit that extracts information on the correlation or a specific pattern may be further provided. The analysis data provided by the data mining unit may be provided to the shoe manufacturer for use in new product development and marketing.

In the above description, shoes are taken as an example,
For example, the present invention can be applied to other products as long as it has high adhesion to the body, such as a swimsuit, and the fitting feeling is one of the important factors when selecting a product.

[0045]

According to the present invention, it is possible to support the sale of products suitable for the user.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a sales support system according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the server of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating personal information of a user stored in the user database of FIG.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of user's foot shape data.

5 is a diagram illustrating shoe product information stored in the product database of FIG. 2. FIG.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of product information of shoes.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating purchase history data of products stored in a purchase history storage unit of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a sales support method according to an embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a shoe search screen.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 3D digitizer, 12 terminal, 14 Internet, 16 server, 20 acquisition unit, 24
Search section, 26 providing section, 28 settlement section, 30 evaluation section, 32 estimation section, 34 product database, 3
6 purchase history storage unit, 38 user database,
40 Communications department.

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Erika Yagyu             2-5-3 Keihan Hondori, Moriguchi City, Osaka Prefecture             Within Yo Denki Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Keiko Watanabe             2-5-3 Keihan Hondori, Moriguchi City, Osaka Prefecture             Within Yo Denki Co., Ltd.

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. With respect to a product, which should have a fitting feeling to be originally tried by fitting, and which has a high degree of close contact with the body, the user's individual size data regarding the size that defines the fitting feeling of the product is remotely acquired, and the individual A sales support method comprising searching the database for the product that matches the dimension data, presenting the product to the user, and enabling the product to be sold online. 2. A step of holding a purchase history including an evaluation regarding a fitting feeling of the user with respect to an article purchased by the user, and a step of acquiring dimensional data defining a fitting feeling regarding an article highly evaluated regarding the fitting feeling. A step of searching a database for a product that matches the size data and presenting it to the user, the sales support method. 3. An acquisition unit which acquires personal size data of at least a part of a body for defining a fitting feeling of a product from a user, and a search unit which searches for the product suitable for the user based on the personal size data. And a providing unit that provides the data of the searched product to the user's terminal. 4. A storage unit for holding a purchase history of products purchased by the user, and size data of the products purchased by the user,
The estimation unit that estimates the individual size data of the user is further included, and the search unit searches for a product suitable for the user based on the estimated individual size data. Sales support device. 5. An input unit for receiving input of evaluation data relating to an actual fitting feeling from a user for a product purchased by the user, wherein the storage unit holds the evaluation data in the purchase history and holds the estimation data. The sales support device according to claim 4, wherein the unit estimates the personal size data that reflects the actual fitting feeling of the user using the evaluation data. 6. A step of remotely obtaining foot dimension data for defining a fitting feeling of a shoe from a user, and matching of the foot dimension data of the user with dimension data of a shoe sold as a product. By taking a step of searching the database for information on shoes that match the user's foot, and presenting the searched shoe information on the user's terminal,
A step of enabling the shoes to be sold online.